A personal "behind the scenes" insight from the perspectives of CEO-wife and COO-husband power team into what its like to be a family owned and operated small business called EBSCO Spring Company. www.ebscospring.com

Ebovation

In the true spirit of innovation I am going to talk about “Ebovation”, or Ebsco innovation. Innovation is simply a different process or use of an existing idea to achieve a better outcome. You might argue with me that changing innovation to Ebovation does not produce a better result but since I’m writing this I am imposing creative license. So… if it is about better results, then all companies must be innovating everything they do, right? Wrong. Innovation in an organization is part of the culture. To be innovative, a company must have the courage to embrace change and admit they are not doing everything right. The current ways may not be wrong but they know they could be better. It takes the will to have vision and see how things can be. An innovative company doesn’t see obstacles, they see opportunities. These traits do not fit the culture in most companies. See if the following list of statements would fit your company.

Don’t fix it if it aint broke

Because that’s the way we have always done it

Why change something that has always worked

We’ve survived doing it this way for xx years, why do we want to screw it up now

What we’re doing is the reason we got where we are today, why change it?

At Ebsco we see the value in the lessons learned from our previous experience but have a vision of something much more for the future. I’ve mentioned our CEO, Ms. Dooley’s vision of a “World Class” manufacturer. We all know that if we continue doing the same things we are doing today, we will get the same results tomorrow. That is not a bad thing (Don’t fix it if it aint broke) but we will not meet the boss’ challenge. To get different results we must have the courage to try new things, to Ebovate.

I am proud of our efforts in Ebovation and want to share a few with you

EMPLOYEE DRIVEN

Ebsco has made major strides to include employees in forming the direction and making the decisions at Ebsco. Utilizing the team approach creates greater inter-department communication and allows the experts doing the job to help chart the path to the future. Most companies do not see the true potential in their employees and find ways to tap this great resource.

E = c s²

Ebsco = common sense squared, with squared being basic lean practices. Our newest improvement program. This is an innovative approach to Lean Manufacturing techniques. Ebsco realized that the lean techniques developed by Toyota were constantly changing. What constituted lean when introduced by Toyota are different from many of the specific processes used there today. Many companies looked to the original lean and tried to duplicate it. The genius of the Toyota system is that it evolves to be the right system for Toyota, at that exact time. It constantly changes. Ebsco has formed a team of employees and management from every department to look at our processes. They are using lean as a guide and developing solutions that are right for Ebsco today. E=cs² diverges from Toyota with where responsibility for solutions rest. At Toyota, everyone has the responsibility to shut down the line but then management steps in to find a solution. At Ebsco we are pushing the analysis and correction to the experts that do the job day in and day out.

Safety

Most companies see safety as an important part of the work place. At Ebsco we are taking safety, as an individual issue out and making it an integral part of everything we do. It will not be something we do, It is part of everything we do.

Spring Design Forum

The Spring Design Forum is just now in the launch phase. It is a web-based discussion forum for questions on springs and spring engineering. We are not utilizing it as an advertising vehicle. It will be opened to everyone including competitors. We are inviting specialist from diverse fields that impact springs and spring design to work together and create a destination for expert advice.

Spring Design Workshop Series

The Workshop Series is a You Tube based video collection explaining the many processes that are involved in the manufacture of springs. It was created to give engineers a place to obtain information on processes and help in making determination of need in the design of their specific springs.

Ebsco Goes Green

The Green Team. Another employee based initiative looking at Ebsco’s environmental impact and ways to improve it. The Green Team has not only made a positive impact on the environment but they have also saved the company money.

Social Networking

Social networking has been much overlooked in the B2B sector. Ebsco sees it as the future and has been developing its web-based marketing presence and social networking.

Capital Expenditure

Coming off the recent economic hurdles, most companies are cautious in their capital expenditures. At Ebsco we have added new machinery to open new markets for the company. Ebsco has plans to continue this expansion allowing us to better serve our current customers and the ability to attract new ones.

EBOVATION! It’s strong at Ebsco. We have embraced the culture of change and have the courage to drive Ebovation. That’s why at Ebsco, If it aint broke, we break it and make it even better.